At the end of the novel what does Junior realize about his own identity, his life and Rowdy?
At the end of "The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," Junior discovered important, positive qualities about his identity, his life, and his friendship with Rowdy. At first he thinks of himself as a poor kid who lives on an Indian Reservation. The other kids on the reservation call him a "retard" (Alexie 4) at least twice a day. He learns over time that he has more to himself than his stutter and lisp; he is actually one of the smartest kids at Rearden High School. In the beginning of the book, he realizes that he is divided in half between White and Spokane Indian worlds. He is split between the two groups at Rearden. He finally learns there is more to him besides his skin color. He comes to the conclusion that the characteristics that make up his personality are more important than his race alone. "I am in the tribe of chips and salsa lovers and the tribe of teenage boys" (Alexie 217). In addition, Junior realizes that his relationship with Rowdy is special. No matter how far apart they get, they will always be friends. Rowdy may have hated him for leaving the reservation, but deep down he didn't hate Junior. In the end of the story,- the game of one on one basketball symbolizes their friendship. It was just best friends doing what they loved and they "didn't keep score" (Alexie 230). By the end of the novel, Junior understands himself more as a person and starts to feel hopeful about the future.
Reed, I think that you absolutely hit the nail on the head with this interpretation of Junior's current situation and describing his feelings and emotions at the moment. However, I think that you should add a quote from the basketball game that shows the other Indian fans' relationship towards Junior and how he is a trader. Overall, I think that you did a spectacular job with this question.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your idea about how Junior has learned more about himself. At the beginning of the book he never expected Reardan students to like him, but by the end of the book they learn to care about each other. This is shown by this quote: "All of these white kids and teachers, who were so suspicious of me when I first arrived, had learned to care about me." "And I'd been so suspicious of them. And now I care about a lot of them." (Alexie 212) Junior learns that if he gives people a chance to become friends it might happen even if he doesn't believe it at the time.
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